THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE HARBOUR.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 11317, 8 September 1898, Page 3

THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE HARBOUR.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— The' thanks of the commercial community are, I think, due to Mr King for the clear, and corcisa report sub* mitted by .him. to the Chamber of Com merce on Friday last. Our importers unanimously concur, so far as I can gather, with his remarks regarding the vexed question of freights to and from " the pore, and the apathy exhibited by the Harbour Board in not providing increased berthage accommodation, and extending dredging operations. , Tha subject involves questions of the gravest, most wide reaching and complex character, and the majority of us now strongly feel that a serious error was made in electing men. on the Board who are ignorant of the commercial requirements of the . province, and whose crucial political views have seriously jeopardised the interests of tlje, pprt by deliberately throwing away £300 offered to" the Board by the Minister of Railways,, yiz , 6d per ton reduction on railage between New Plymouth, and the breakwater for 12 months, and nearly causing the rails to be lifted by their unseemly bluff. The Board is, I understand, in a position to' raise a sum of £4000 by way of overdraf c, and this amount would go a long way towards, extending the berthage accommodation and increasing the dredging, capacity, the intertst on which would be more than paid by the increased passenger traffic on the two extra' through trains per week, to aud from Wellington, which, aa pointed out < by ,Mr Kirig, are to start; running on- the, Ist of December next. The ratepayers have no cause to fear that sjuch an expenditure would come out of the rate revenue, as the rate revenue can only t .be used, as shown in your columns of , the 18th of May last, in payment of the original loan. As asserted by Mr King, pressure must somehow be brought to -bear on the Harbour Board, to make it pee the gravity of the situation. It is very well for a member of the Board to compare the harbour rate to a flood that sweeps.- an acre of bis run away every jear, and say, "Let the bally harbour silt up," but *uch a contention is too monstrously absurd to treat seriously. ' Anecdotes like these may obtain credence from those who hate Liberalism, for such people are only too eager to believe anything which might justify their hatred. That there has been too much political antagonism' or bluff introduced in harbour 'matters by the Chairman and his followers tbere' is no gaicisaying, and it is plainly discernible that «uch antagonism and bluff has carried within it the seeds of its, own death. Notwithstanding the eulogistic terms in which Mr Maxwell has been mentioned by the Harbour Board s solicitor ■at the I last two annual meetings of .the Chamber of Commerce, many of us cannot disguise from ourselveß the fact that Mr Samuel's argumentative weakness of the contention has been completely demolished by Mr Maxwell's own actions. Mr Maxwell may be a man of considerable ability and intense earnestuess, as Mr Samuel very prettily puts it, but it is evident by Mr Connett's statement on .Friday night, as well as by Mr Maxwells own inert .actions, ihathe'knawslittleabdiit the satd difficulty, and -it 'is' th'eref bre°irnpirative ihat he sholild' be- made fo ; grasp (ihe position without loss of time. Those of us who hay« had an 'opportunity' of I watching Mr .Maxwell's public gallops admit thai; bis fame is undoubtedly great, and in all probability lasting, buc it is a fame of a decidedly peculiar kind. Fortunately the Committee appointed b> the' public meeting last week are, in conjunction with the Stratford importers, di<s*» playing laudable anxiety to shake off the spell of lethargy which has for some time past eneconcsd the Chamber of Commerce and the Harbour Board, and it is to be hoped that their efforts will not be hypnotised or deterred by any fear of a Demosthenemn chastisement. The past life of the Chamber of Commerce has beeu too dogmatical and circumscribed, hence we find what really should be a power in the district, has verged on the ludicrous and finally degenerated into an autocratic burlesque. Mr King, although a very busy man. is not blind to the true facts, for in replying to Mr Samuel's vehement remonstrance, poured forth on the whipping-boys who dared to attend the public meeting without the sanction of the Chamber ot Commerce, said " he attended the public meeting, as he did not wish the meeting to pass red hot motions against the Harbour - Board or the Shipping Companies, and if necessary would do so again," proving conclusively that Mr King expected strong complaints to be made, as the grounds doubtless justified, hence his ''red hot motions" anticipation. Trusting I have not trespassed too far on your space.— l am, &o , Importer.

THE JOKER

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